Safe Standing Campaign Passes 80% Of The Target

19 September 2017

Supporters Groups help campaign reach new milestone

As the crowdfunding campaign to bring safe standing to England & Wales, at Shrewsbury Town, reached the figure of £50,000 earlier today, campaign organisers were able to announce that 80% of the required funds have now been raised.

The contribution that took the campaign total up to £50,000 came from one of the many supporters groups from around the country that have shown their support for the pioneering project being run by their counterparts at the Shrewsbury Town Supporters Parliament. This time it was the Bristol City Supporters Club & Trust that contributed £150 to have their name engraved on one of the rail seats.

“It’s great that we’ve had support from so many fans around the country”, commented Roger Groves of the Supporters Parliament. “We’ve seen supporters groups from Manchester United, Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham make contributions, as well as numerous individual fans from clubs like Derby, Brentford, Wimbledon and Palace, plus, of course, the hundreds of Shrews fans and organisations that have also played a big part.”

A recalculation of the funds required to create the unique rail seating area for some 500+ fans means that now just a further £12,500 is needed to hit the target and make safe standing history. “Following discussions with the Shrewsbury-based seat manufacturer, Ferco Seating, and the national Sports Ground Safety Authority, it became apparent that the original specification for the area included a fully superfluous row of rail seating barriers hard up against the rear wall of the stand. We therefore revisited the plans and were able to reduce the total funds needed to £62,500, while still providing the 574 spaces we originally planned”, explained Groves. “That is a great unexpected boost for the campaign and I must say a big thank you to the SGSA for their expert guidance. It’s fantastic to be able to say that we have raised 80% of the target. With a big push now from all Shrews fans and supporters of safe standing nationwide we should soon be there”, he added

Once the target has been reached, Shrewsbury Town aims to install the rail seating section before the end of the 17/18 season.